life_is_strangefandomcom-20200223-history
References (Prequel)
This article lists references to pop culture and different media that can be found in Life is Strange: Before the Storm. Like in Life is Strange, the creators included a lot of references throughout the game, which likely reflect personal favorite books, movies or series, and inspirations for the game of the developers at Deck Nine Games. Interestingly a lot of references for media that was already referenced in Life is Strange can be found in the game. The following is a list of those references arranged according to the episodes they appear in. General Before the Storm ''continues to use themes and inspirations from the series ''Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks Several references to the tv series , which heavily inspired the original Life is Strange game, can be found in Before the Storm. * The Old Mill itself and the forest fire that occurs at the end of the first episode are likely references to the Packard Sawmill from Twin Peaks which is sabotaged in a fire. * Firewalk, the band that plays at the punk club, likely is a reference to the movie , the prequel to the original series. * There is a symbol on the train's walls which closely resembles the insignia from the petroglyph on the wall of Owl Cave in Twin Peaks. * "The Raven is to be respected, never trusted. Its grinning face betrays its trickster spirit." can be found written on the placard for the totem. This line and the symbol of the raven itself seem to be a callback to the phrase "The Owls are not what they seem" and the similar prevalence of owls in Twin Peaks. * Fire is frequently associated with Rachel Amber throughout the first episode. In the second dream sequence, she is seen literally on fire. The phrase "Fire walk with me" was associated with Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, who Rachel Amber is based on. * Eliot Hampden bears a slight resemblance to from . * The obscure hints of what's to come provided by William in Chloe's dreams is also similar to the hints given to Dale Cooper by The Giant during visions in Twin Peaks, in this case both Rachel Amber's self-destructive mindset and the forest fire she causes by burning a photo of her past self. William Shakespeare * Several references to Shakespeare can be seen throughout the game. For instance, the game's constant motif of lying and concealing the truth in exchange for happiness resembles Sonnet 138 where two lovers lie to each other to flatter themselves. * Shakespeare is speculated to have been homosexual, and there are many theories about Shakespeare subtly revealing his sexuality through his plays and sonnets. It could be argued that Shakespeare hinted at his identity including his sexuality through his play similarly to Rachel's performance of The Tempest. * The Tempest (TBC) Characters * In a playthrough with Eurogamer, Zak Garriss said that the name of the dog Delia at the punk club is a reference to the Johnny Cash song called "Delia's Gone". The opening verse of the song is "Delia; Oh, Delia; Delia all my life; If I hadn't have shot poor Delia; I'd have had her for my wife; Delia's gone; One more round; Delia's gone". Episode One - "Awake" Old Mill * The Old Mill itself and the forest fire that occurs at the end of the episode are likely references to the Packard Sawmill from Twin Peaks which is sabotaged in a fire. * Firewalk, the band that plays at the punk club, likely is a reference to the movie , the prequel to the original series. * One of the optional graffiti that Chloe Price can write on Frank Bowers's RV which is standing in front of the punk club says, "Definitely absolutely not a meth lab". This is a reference to the television series in which drug dealer and his accomplice Jesse cook Crystal Meth in an RV. * In front of the punk club, the license plates of several parked cars are references to popular movies. Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-01.jpg|#1 "BNY-N-CLYD" - Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-02.jpg|#2 "SPRTACUS" - Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-03.jpg|#3 "MAL-RNLDS" - Malcom "Mal" Reynolds, from the Firefly franchise Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-04.jpg|#3 "SLPRY-JIM" - * The license plates of the motor bikes in front of the punk club are references to the members of . Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-05.jpg|#1 "FACEMAN" - Arthur Templeton "Faceman" Peck Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-06.jpg|#2 "MURDOCK" - Howling Mad Murdock Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-07.jpg|#3 "BA-BARACS" - B. A. Baracus Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-08.jpg|#3 "HANNIBAL" - John "Hannibal" Smith * During the Backtalk with the club's bouncer, Chloe can say, "Oh hey, Bowser called. He wants his jewelry back." is the main antagonist of Nintendo's . * The t-shirt vendor's car's license plate might be a reference to the American rock band . It could also be a reference to the hometown of Robin Hood. Licence_Plates_Before the Storm-09.jpg| "LO▪CKSL▪EY" - Locksley Chloe's House * When Chloe tears down the unicorn poster in her room and writes the "Genius" graffiti, she says, "Ask ." ** The quote written, "Genius is 1% perspiration, 99% LSD," is a play on the quote from , "Genius is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration." ** When looking at the same graffiti, Chloe remarks, "Adapt or die", which is a quote from the 2011 American sports film . * Chloe has the option to write on her periodic table poster. She can choose to write "MJ 420". MJ refers to "Mary Jane" which is a nickname for Marijuana. 420 is a code word for smoking pot, believed to have originated from the USA in the early 1970s. * Looking at the pirate towel in the house's bathroom, Chloe calls it "Captain Bluebeard's preferred towel", a reference to the well-known pirate Blackbeard, who is also featured as a character in . *An Arcadia Bay Gazette article that can be found on the table in the Price house's living room features a photo of Principal Wells holding a cup. This is a reference to a meme originating from the 1999 American comedy film . Wells-office-space.png Office-space-boss.jpg * David's license plate reads "JZY-WALZ" - . Blackwell Campus * While sitting on the crate on the stage and contemplating about last night, Chloe compares Rachel saving her to Batman. * In the main campus, there is a poster on the pool entrance about drug awareness. If you look closely, the figure in the background is extremely reminiscent to the then WWF's (now WWE) Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Hulk Hogan was an 80's/90's wrestling entertainment icon. * Steph and Mikey are playing a tabletop game that highly resembles . * Chloe receives a copy of Blade Runner: Director's Cut from Steph. * Samantha Myers is reading the book . Drama Lab * When looking at the laptop in the drama lab, Chloe says, "To internet, or not to internet...", referencing the famous line from William Shakespeare's , "To be, or not to be: that is the question." *Other famous lines from Shakespeare's plays can be seen on the walls of the Drama Lab, such as: "All the world's a stage" and "We know what we are, but know not what we may be". Train * When Chloe is looking for a crate to sit and Chloe observes a cargo box that can be found at the corner of the train, she says, "I feel pretty confident there's going to be a dead body in here," possibly referencing the . In Hitman, a notorious, recurring theme is the ability to hide bodies most notably in cargo boxes. The series was originally published by Eidos Interactive back in 2000 but as of 2009 was purchased by Square Enix. Hitman_BodyCargo.png|Agent 47 hiding a body in a cargo box in Hitman Absolution.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSwPm4uoI60 Screenshot from GamersName's Hitman Absolution gameplay video] (1:12:28) 20170908033640_1.jpg|Chloe looking at a cargo box. * On one of the crates, Chloe can find the book by . * There is a symbol on the train's walls which closely resembles the insignia from the petroglyph on the wall of Owl Cave in Twin Peaks. * On the train's walls, there are several quotes: ** "I see humans but no humanity" is a famous quote by . ** "Everybody is somebody but no one wants to be themselves" is a reference to the song "Who Cares?" by . ** "All my idols are dead!" might be a reference to the song "All My Idols Are Dead" by . ** "Sorrow will have an end!" might be a reference to 1929 song "Trouble Will Soon Be Over" by . * When Chloe tells Rachel that she loves science, she says that she thinks that "Neil deGrasse Tyson is the shit". is an American astrophysicist, author, and science communicator. * When Chloe tells Rachel that she broke her hand, she says that she punched her classmate for stealing her " ". Yoo-hoo is an American brand that primarily produces chocolate-flavored drinks. * When Chloe claims that being a Leo was Rachel's lie in the Two Truths and a Lie game, Rachel will say, "Hear me roar." "Hear me roar" is the Lannisters' motto in the series . Overlook * When Chloe and Rachel find the viewfinder at Overlook Park to be broken and they don't have any change to use the other one, Chloe says, "I'm sure I can us something," referencing the 1985–1992 American action-adventure television series. In the original Life is Strange ''Max also made this comparison by calling herself MaxGyver. * The designer of the Northwest Valor statue at the Overlook is called "Dwight Mueller"; this could be a reference to a character from ''The Fast and the Furious. * When Chloe fixes the viewfinder, she says "Prescott Power - Activate!" referencing the Wonder Twins. * "The Raven is to be respected, never trusted. Its grinning face betrays its trickster spirit." can be found written on the placard for the totem. This line and the symbol of the raven itself seem to be a callback to the phrase "The Owls are not what they seem" and the similar prevalence of owls in . * After mimicking the "Grill Dad" during the viewfinder game, Chloe asks if her comments were too dark. Rachel responds that they were "perfect dark", referencing the 2000 first-person shooter video game . Dream Sequences * Fire is frequently associated with Rachel Amber throughout this episode. In this particular scene, she is seen literally on fire. The phrase "Fire walk with me" was associated with Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks, who Rachel Amber is based on. * The obscure hints of what's to come provided by William in these visions is also similar to the hints given to Dale Cooper by The Giant during visions in Twin Peaks, in this case both Rachel Amber's self-destructive mindset and the forest fire she causes by burning a photo of her past self. Chloe's Journal * On page 2, Chloe calls David "The Mustache Monster From Planet Dipshit", a reference to... * On page 3, several references to the science fiction movie can be found. She mentions main characters Pris and Deckard and concludes the letter with "Chloe the Electric Sheep", which is a reference to the novel which the movie is based on. Episode Two - "Brave New World" Parking Lot At the parking lot, the license plates are references to media, fictional characters and people.Reddit post by /u/takichandler *THELMA and LOUISE - Thelma and Louise *HOLDEN-C - Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye *T-SAWYER - Tom Sawyer *KATNISS - Katniss from The Hunger Games *JIM-STRK - Jim Stark from Rebel Without a Cause *LD-BYRON - Lord Byron (Mr. Keaton's car) *MUAD-DIB - Muad'Dib, an alias of , the protagonist of 's (Skip's car) *A-HAM - (Principal Wells's car) *Nikola-T - Nikola Tesla *BRKBD - Breaking Bad *JZY-WALZ - Chris Floyd commented the following on a Reddit post with a list of references, also indirectly implying that the references are correct by stating "I bet someone out there will figure out the two unsolved plates in the OP’s list. One is historical, and one is a fictional character...". Reddit post by Chris Floyd Junkyard * The license plate of the truck Chloe fixes reads "ANBONNY", which is a reference to the female pirate Ann Bonny who was romantically involved fellow female pirate Mary Read. image * When in the car with Chloe, Rachel may say, "Because life is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." This is a line from Shakespeare's play Macbeth. * Rachel may also say, "From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire." These are lines from the poem "Fire and Ice" by Robert Frost. Boys Dorms *There is a poster for the 80s horror movie The Dorm That Dripped Blood on Warren's door. The Dorm That Dripped Blood movie poster.jpg|Original movie poster. * (TBC) Campus Backstage *The name of Victoria's muscle relaxers, "Soma", is a reference to the drug of the same name in the novel . **The manufacturer, Xulhey, is an anagram of the author's last name, Huxley.Life Is Strange: Before the Storm Tropes **"Brave New World" is also the title of Episode 2. RelaxantPills.jpg|Victoria's muscle relaxers. Amber House * The Metamorphoses by Ovid can be found in the living room. * (TBC) Chloe's Letters *Chloe signs her first letter with "Chloe, the Exit Wounder", which is a reference to the 2001 American action film Exit Wounds. The movie is about an urban police detective notorious for pushing the limits of the law in his quest for justice. It is also a reference to a medical term "exit wound", left by a bullet or similar object leaving a body. *Chloe signs her second letter with "Chloe, Bane of Facists sic", which is a reference to The Dark Night Rises. *Chloe signs her fifth letter with "Chloe, The Peacemaker", which might be a reference to the 1997 American action-political thriller film The Peacemaker. Episode Three - "Hell Is Empty" Rachel's Room * Rachel's bulletin board includes quotes from English authors and , Australian poet , and British actress . ** Also posted to the bulletin board are posters for the musical and the play . * On top of Rachel's wall-mounted needlepoint canvas is a sticky note depicting a quote from Italian politician . * The bottom-middle of Rachel's recessed shelves contains a collection of The Complete Works of . (TBC) Bonus Episode - "Farewell" Bedroom * (TBC) Attic * Max mentions Chloe had a gold fish called .Reddit post by /u/ChloesPetRat Backyard * (TBC) Price House - Downstairs * Billy The Squid is a squid toy that was found inside the time capsule that had been buried by Chloe and Max when they were little kids. Billy The Squid may be a reference to a notorious Old West gunfighter, . References Category:Before the Storm Category:References Category:Special Content (Before the Storm) Category:Behind the Scenes (Before the Storm) Category:Behind the Scenes Category:Special Content